The invention relates generally to a package system for an electronic device and particularly to a package system that incorporates liquid metal electrical joints to provide electrical conductivity and mechanical stability for an electronic element.
Electronic devices, especially mobile electronic devices, are often subjected to harsh mechanical forces, for example, shock and vibrations, and/or thermally induced stresses such as rapid changes in temperature, temperature gradients, or thermal cycling. Such conditions place exceptional strain on electrical joints that are typically formed by two dissimilar materials. If the electronic device is subject to impact, there is a possibility of normal, shear, and/or torsional forces transmitting into the joint, causing cracking or fracturing of the electronic device. Similarly, if the electronic device is moved from one temperature to another, differences in the thermal expansion or contraction of the varying materials induce stresses in the joint, which in turn, can create cracks in the electronic device.
Conventional approaches to decreasing mechanical and thermal stresses have emphasized novel joint geometries to reduce strain transmission and thus limit stress build-up. However, these approaches rely universally on a directly bonded solid-state joint (for example a solidified solder) to provide an electrical pathway, and as such, cannot completely mitigate mechanical and thermal stresses without reducing the fidelity of the electrical signal transmission.
Therefore, there is a need to design a package and method of providing robust electrical joints between components within the electronic device, while at the same time increasing the durability and reliability of the electronic package.